The United States has confirmed that eight people were killed in new military strikes targeting vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean, just days after US forces seized a Venezuelan oil tanker, as Washington continues to expand its military presence across Latin America and the Caribbean.
In a statement posted on social media, the US Military’s Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said the attacks took place on Monday in international waters and involved what it described as “lethal kinetic strikes” against three separate vessels. The operations were carried out under the direction of US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
According to SOUTHCOM, three people were killed aboard the first vessel, two on the second, and three on the third. The US military alleged that those killed were linked to drug trafficking, though it did not release evidence to support the claim.
The latest incident adds to a growing number of deaths resulting from US maritime operations in the region. Since September, at least 90 people have been killed in similar strikes on dozens of vessels in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea near Venezuela. International law experts and human rights organizations have criticized the operations, describing them as possible extrajudicial killings carried out outside any declared armed conflict.
Questions have also been raised in the US Congress over the role of Secretary Hegseth in authorizing the attacks. Lawmakers have sought clarification on reports that he approved a second strike in September on a vessel after two people survived an initial attack and were left clinging to debris in the water.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has significantly increased its military deployments in the region, sending warships, a submarine, surveillance drones and fighter jets to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. US officials say the buildup is intended to disrupt drug smuggling routes, but critics argue the scale of the deployment suggests broader strategic objectives.
Venezuela has strongly condemned the strikes and the expanding US military presence, accusing Washington of using security operations as a cover for economic exploitation. Venezuelan officials said the actions were aimed at enabling “external powers to seize Venezuela’s vast oil and gas wealth.”
Those accusations intensified last week when US forces intercepted and seized a Venezuelan oil tanker off the country’s coast. US President Donald Trump appeared to confirm economic motives behind the seizure, telling reporters, “I assume we’re going to keep the oil.”
The developments have heightened tensions between the two countries and raised renewed concerns across Latin America about sovereignty, international law, and the implications of an expanded US military role in the region.
Story by Freedom Lavoe/ahotoronline.com